By now you should be familiar with all the ads for Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. It’s not out yet, don’t worry. You can check it out next week, because by then we’ll be appreciating a guy who really likes science. So we’ll keep our focus on the young man behind Percy for now, Logan Lerman.
He acted with some of the biggest names in Hollywood before he was close to puberty, starred in his own TV show before he could drive and, all the while, stole millions of hearts as an introvert before he could buy a drink. We could leave it there and that’d be enough, but Logan deserves more so we’ll continue on. Plus, we haven’t even gotten to the emotional core of what he means to some people.
Name: Logan Wade Lerman
Birthday: January 19, 1992
Place of Birth: Beverly Hills, CA
Twitter: @LoganLerman
Best Known For
What were you doing when you were eight years old? Probably not starring in movies with Mel Gibson. Yup, if you have a good memory and can think back to 2000, you might remember seeing Lerman as Gibson’s son in The Patriot, or as a young Gibson in What Women Want. He wasn’t going to settle on D-list movies that only get shown at 7am on weekdays on HBO Family. Okay, he did some lesser known things, but let’s stick with the big guns. A year after Gibson, he was in Riding in Cars with Boys alongside Drew Barrymore. Then you knew he was going to grow up a looker when he got cast as young Ashton Kutcher in The Butterfly Effect. Once movies settled down, he found a role on The WB’s Jack & Bobby. It was a great concept but didn’t fare well. Who would’ve been president? We’ll never know. Then it was back to working with the A-listers, the biggest being 3:10 to Yuma with Russell Crowe. Logan got on every girl’s radar though when he took on the lead in Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief. Popular enough, it garnered a sequel. Then there’s of course last year’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower. All the other things before that were great resume notes, but that — that is the role that will keep his name floating around. Next up, other than another Percy, Lerman will rejoin Crowe and Perks costar Emma Watson for the biblical Noah in 2014.
5 Quick Logan Lerman Facts
- An LA native, it’s only natural he loves the Lakers.
- He and his BFF Dean Collins used to make YouTube videos. It’s been a minute, but that’s only because, well, Logan’s a little busy with other projects.
- It doesn’t matter what kind, he loves him some sushi.
- Jackie Chan made him want to act when he was just 2 ½ years old.
- “Lerman and Son” is the name of his family’s prosthetic company.
Reasons You Love Logan Lerman
Besides the fact that his eyes are like two majestic oceans of wonder, you love Logan because he’s just a typical guy who could save the world with a pen. Maybe some of you have swooned over him since he was in elementary school and if that’s the case — I really hope you’re his age, no judgment here though. Other than that, there are those who took one look at Percy Jackson and said, “Hello new obsession, nice to meet you. Don’t be scared, I’ll love you forever.” Then there are those who only know him as Charlie. No matter what role led you to Logan, you love him because when he’s out of character, he’s that boy who works at Urban Outfitters that you’d fall for. More on the roles though.
The gals who watched The Butterfly Effect and Jack & Bobby — I’m assuming right now you too were born in the early ’90s and that Logan was your JTT. If that’s the case, I know exactly why you continue to care about him. Like JTT, here was a boy who was your age and was cuter than anyone you’d ever seen on the playground. He was the first person you ever believed would be your soul mate. You simply never forget your first. They remain in your heart, no matter how old you get.
Fast forwarding to when Logan was hitting his voting age. Percy Jackson wasn’t a movie you’d planned on seeing. Admit it; had they cast someone with less appealing attributes, you may’ve forgotten it existed. Thankfully Logan played the part and played it well. You even went out and bought the books after because Logan was that good. Did you read them? Let’s just say you did, but we all know they just sit on a shelf in your bedroom next to a framed photo of you and Logan. Whether it’s Photoshopped or legit varies from person to person. You entered the world of Percy for Logan, but stayed for the adventure. Who knew mythology could be so entertaining?
That leads us to Perks and Charlie. Some read the book and couldn’t wait to see the face they’d been picturing for years (you weren’t disappointed), and some just took on the movie. Either format, they had everyone you’ve ever met throughout high school and you may’ve been the Patrick, the Mary Elizabeth, or Ponytail Derrick, but you loved Charlie. You loved him because he was an intellectual mess. He had all the answers when it came to school, but otherwise he was clueless. The oxymoron that is Charlie resonated with you even if you weren’t him. You wanted to give him a hug and tell him Aunt Helen wasn’t his fault. It was never his fault. If you were like Charlie, a constant wallflower too busy with your own thoughts to participate, then there’s no explanation needed as to why Logan’s portrayal of Charlie is important to you.
99% of the guys and gals we see come through here are gorgeous and that’s no different when it comes to Logan, but that’s not the only reason you love him. The love spawns from him being your first, your adventure, your wallflower.
Reasons I Love Logan Lerman
The only reason I ever watched The Patriot was for Gregory Smith. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, I was obsessed. The only people I remember from The Butterfly Effect are Ashton and the bully from Boy Meets World. Percy, oh no. I don’t want flashbacks of the class I took and almost failed. Who knew watching Disney’s Hercules wouldn’t be enough to pass a mythology class? So the first time I ever came to appreciate Logan was when Perks came out.
We’ve already touched on why I loved Emma Watson in Perks, and I also mentioned then how Charlie was someone I instantly connected to before Logan portrayed him. Now I’ll dive a little deeper into my love of Logan’s Charlie without getting too TMI and crying over my laptop at 2am.
No one alive is without a past, and sometimes your past can linger like a pesky mosquito in the middle of Summer. You try and bat it away, but it finds a way to suck a little life out of you. For Charlie it was Aunt Helen and his best friend not leaving a note; for me it was a guy who always had a 12-pack in hand. Both Charlie and I can be found repeating rambles to ourselves over what’s happened to us, and we can also be found structuring our emotions into sentences.
Logan played a kid who I knew very well because I was — am that kid. I sit far from the sidelines watching life happen with a pen in hand, always with that damn mosquito buzzing around. Stephen Chbosky created Charlie, but Logan Lerman will never not be the Charlie I look to as a confidant, someone who’s been there, someone who understands the harsh reality of a bug bite.
Kendra, I’ve been slowly working through your articles, and so far, I have loved every single one! You are a fabulous and talented writer who knows how to speak to a fangirl’s heart without squealing :) I look forward to reading more of your work in the future!